The Drum Beat 810 - World Press Freedom Day 2022: Journalism under Digital Siege

• 1.Journalism Is a Public Good: World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development - Global Report 2021/2022
  This report from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) examines global trends in media freedom, media pluralism, and media independence. For example, dozens of laws have been adopted or amended since 2016 that threaten online freedom of expression. The report includes a chapter on trends in the safety of journalists, including digital safety. Issues around mis- and disinformation and the related challenge of internet transparency are woven into all the sections and are particularly tackled in relation to independence. Each chapter outlines good practice and measures taken by UNESCO to tackle the issue at hand and offers a list of recommendations for the way forward. [2022]
  
   
• 2.Spyware: An Unregulated and Escalating Threat to Independent Media
  by Samuel Woodhams
  This report from the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) looks at the issue of spyware in the context of media and media freedom. It highlights how the proliferation of spyware poses safety risks to journalists and their sources, encourages self-censorship, and creates new financial and operational strains on news outlets. Suggested actions to protect independent media from the threat of spyware are also discussed. [Aug 2021]
  
   
• 3.The Global Expression Report 2021: The State of Freedom of Expression around the World
  The Global Expression Report, published annually by ARTICLE 19, is a worldwide data-informed look at freedom of expression. By tracking freedom of expression indicators across 161 countries, the report reflects on not only the rights of journalists and civil society but also on how much space there is for individuals and members of organisations to express and communicate: how free a person is to post online, to march, to research, and to access the information they need to participate in society and hold those with power to account. [Jul 2021]
  
   
• 4.Internet Governance and Journalism - Videos
  From CIMA, this series of videos introduces viewers to key issues in internet governance and explains how they impact broader media development efforts. Internet governance is defined as "all of the policies, processes, and technologies that structure the Internet" and includes digital regulation, technical protocols, and infrastructure. Intended as educational and awareness-raising tools, the four videos represent concrete examples of how different aspects of internet governance affect news producers and consumers. [Jun 2020]
  
   
• See also:
  Elections and Media in Digital Times
  

• 5.Media Viability: Tackling Big Tech
  by Michael Pavičić
  From this blog: "...By disseminating media content for free on their platforms and monetising this content by scooping up advertising money through a business model with zero-sum outcomes for print and online media outlets, the financial viability of independent news media and journalism have been seriously eroded by tech platforms....[P]ublic and political attention is increasingly drawn to and, rightfully, needed for creating an economic enabling environment for independent and viable news media....Against this background, Columbia University organised a webinar on April 15, 2021, titled Saving Journalism: Should Countries Copy Australia's New Media Code?....Whatever the solution is, through competition law, copyright protection and bargaining, all media houses, large and small, should benefit. The solution should not be discriminatory and should be made as transparent as possible..." [Jul 2020]
  
   
• 6.Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021
  by Nic Newman, Richard Fletcher, Anne Schulz, et al.
  From the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, this report focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on news consumption and on the economic prospects for publishers. It looks at: progress on new paid online business models; the role of local news, trust, and misinformation; the role and influence of different social media platforms (including more visual social networks like TikTok and Instagram); and the degree to which the media are seen as treating different groups fairly, including women, young people, and ethnic minorities. [Jun 2021]
  
   
• 7.National Consultations on Solutions to Promote Media Viability While Preserving Media Independence
  by Saskia Nijhof, Michael Pavičić, Tim Schoot Uiterkamp, et al.
  Drawing on research provided by UNESCO and The Economist Intelligence Unit, Free Press Unlimited (FPU) carried out a series of consultations with media professionals from 10 countries in an effort to understand, from a practitioner's point of view, what the challenges and opportunities around media viability are in each country. Topics cover, for example, income streams and business models of media, access to (online) advertisement, the impact of big tech, and the way independent media are affected by the contexts in which they operate. [Nov 2021]
  
   
• 8.Building Viability: Strategies and Approaches for Media Organisations - Workshop Recordings and Presentations
  The Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) convened a two-day workshop in February 2022 to provide practical advice and assistance to media organisations seeking to develop their financial viability. Workshop presentations explored media viability strategies and lessons learned by PRIMED programmes in Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia, as well as by media outlets in other transitional countries. For instance, the Bangladesh presentation focused on the Gramer Kagoj Newspaper's transition into digital news. [Feb 2022]
  
   
• 9.The Native Advertising Playbook
  In a world where media outlets are seeking new revenue streams to remain viable, the Native Advertising Playbook is designed to provide practical guidance on how to start using native advertising for digital media. Produced by International Media Support (IMS) in partnership with CityDog Media, an independent digital magazine and a leader of native advertising in Belarus, it may also be useful for organisations and foundations promoting and supporting the sustainability of independent media. [Feb 2022]
  
   
• 10.Media Sustainability Essentials: Building Resilience in a Time of Disruption
  by Michelle J. Foster
  The overall purpose of this guide from Internews is to help independent media organisations become more viable in the face of a myriad of threats "from the shift to digital, algorithmic audience engagement, the rise of disinformation and a pandemic". [Dec 2021]
  
   
• See also:
  Viability content on The CI's Media Development site
  

• 11.Fighting Misinformation and Defending Free Expression during COVID-19: Recommendations for States
  by Eliška Pírková
  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet was not only a tool to exercise the right to access and impart information but also allowed the rapid growth of COVID-19-related misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. Governments have responded with measures that, in the view of Access Now, run the risk of disproportionately limiting freedom of expression and opinion. In this paper, Access Now offers practical examples and promising practices to support governments in rights-respecting responses to the COVID-19 crisis. [Apr 2020]
  
   
• 12.What Works - Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation: Lessons From The Frontlines In 100 Countries
  This Internews report makes the case for the need to support media at the local level if COVID-19 misinformation and mistrust are to be tackled effectively. To ensure that people received information from sources they trust, Internews supported thousands of organisations that produce COVID-19-related information in 68 countries and in 135 languages. For example, in Haiti, Internews worked with Action Pour Le Climat Environnement et la Développment Durable (Adledd), described here as a trusted journalism group with a major presence on WhatsApp, to distribute video interviews with local epidemiologists via WhatsApp to tackle misinformation and rumours. This and other efforts demonstrate the need to build trust by going local: working with communities and with the media that is closest to them. [Apr 2021]
  
   
• 13.Journalism, 'Fake News' & Disinformation: Handbook for Journalism Education and Training
  by Cherilyn Ireton and Julie Posetti (Eds.)
  This UNESCO handbook seeks to serve as an internationally relevant curriculum, open to adoption or adaptation, which responds to the emerging global problem of disinformation that confronts societies in general and journalism in particular. One module focuses on news industry transformation: digital technology, social platforms, and the spread of misinformation and disinformation. [Nov 2018]
  
   
• See also:
  Countering Digital Disinformation, Respecting Freedom of Expression - The Drum Beat 806
  

• 14.Ending Impunity: Acting on UN Standards on the Safety of Journalists
  Since 2012, United Nations (UN) resolutions have called on all States to address the safety of journalists and break the cycle of impunity. They include the commitment of states to not interfere with digital security technologies, including tools for anonymity and encryption, which are vital to secure journalists' communications and protect the confidentiality of sources. Designed for use by States and civil society alike, this guide from ARTICLE 19 breaks down the commitments contained in these resolutions, as well as the international human rights and humanitarian law underpinning them. [Nov 2019]
  
   
• 15.The Backstory: A Media Freedom Podcast Series
  This series of podcasts produced by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) highlights challenges such as those related to journalist safety, media viability, gender equity in the media, and freedom of expression, and they explore how media institutions have managed to tackle these obstacles in order to continue reporting the news. For example, one episode explores: "The war online: Abuse and harassment, and what journalists are doing about it". [2018 - ongoing]
  
   
• 16.Digital Safety Kit
  Produced by the Committee to Protect Journalists, this resource is intended for journalists looking to better protect themselves, their sources, and their information from digital threats. [Jul 2019; updated Oct 2021]
  
   
• 17.Practical and Legal Tools to Protect the Safety of Journalists
  This set of practical and legal tools has been developed for journalists, media managers, and newsrooms to strengthen responses to online and offline harassment and to protect free and independent media. They were produced with the Thomson Reuters Foundation in partnership with UNESCO, the International Women's Media Foundation, and the International News Safety Institute. [2021]
  
   
• 18.Totem
  Developed by Greenhost and FPU, Totem is an online learning platform that offers free-of-charge, self-paced, interactive educational courses about digital security/privacy and related tools and tactics to journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.
  
   
• See also:
  Strengthening Safety and Security Resources for Visual Storytellers and Journalists
  

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